Jayapal Hosts Shadow Hearing on Trump’s Detention Abuses

Full video of the hearing can be found HERE.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Immigration, Integrity, Security, and Enforcement, hosted a shadow hearing titled Kidnapped and Disappeared: Trump's Detention Abuses. Twenty-five Members of Congress attended this hearing.

"Today, according to ICE's own statistics, 73 percent of people held in ICE detention have no criminal conviction and the vast majority of the remaining 27 percent have minor convictions such as traffic violations. ICE has been arresting people at courthouses when they're trying to follow the legal process. They are profiling immigrants around the country, picking people up for the language they speak or the street corner they hang out on," said Jayapal. "So immigration detention centers are full of mothers and fathers and beloved community members while those who pose a threat are free. Amidst this surge in detention, conditions have gone from bad to worse with terrible overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, long waits to get medical help if received at all, and inedible food, described by some as 'dripping with blood.' Multiple pregnant women have been shackled and even suffered miscarriages due to their mistreatment in detention. And since Trump took office, in just 10 months, there have been 23 in-custody deaths - a shocking number and more than any year since 2005. As Republicans refuse to conduct oversight, I will continue to hold these hearings to ensure that "

This hearing featured witness testimony from Sarah Owings, an attorney representing multiple formerly detained and currently detained immigrants, including 54 Korean workers from the Hyundai plant that was raided in September, Mildred Pierre, the wife of Rodney Taylor, who is currently being held at the Stewart Detention Center, Laura St. John, the Legal Director of the Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project, and Kate Voigt, a Senior Policy Counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

"Overcrowding worsens already poor detention conditions, especially in remote private prisons that lack sufficient medical staff and equipment to address the complex health needs of detainees who have chronic conditions and who are being denied release in nearly all circumstances," said Sarah Owings. "The government's continued investment in expanding detention infrastructure does not address these underlying issues; instead, it allows them to become even more widespread."

"The world needs to know what is happening to people like Rodney including solitary confinement, no access to water, limited to no medical attention, and deplorable conditions at Stewart Detention Center," said Mildred Pierre, Rodney Taylor's wife and advocate who has been right by his side through all of his detainment testified the horrific conditions Rodney has endured as a double amputee in detainment. "Rodney's health has been impacted as a result of limited medical attention for his prosthetics that requires charging daily."

"The Trump administration is creating hopelessness by design," said Laura St. John, Legal Director at the Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project. "We've seen people unjustly kept in detention for months or years while this administration makes repeated attempts to remove them to third countries. Additionally, an abrupt change of law around bond eligibility has functionally eliminated release options for most people. This remains true despite numerous federal courts holding that the Agency's new interpretation is contrary to law. Thousands of people now face months, if not years, in detention if they fight their case without any review by a judge to determine whether their detention is fair, just, or necessary. At the same time, conditions in detention centers are rapidly worsening. We thank Ranking Member Jayapal and the Members in attendance for their commitment to shining a light on how this administration is treating people in immigration detention."

"ICE is turbocharging $45 billion in taxpayer dollars to rapidly expand ICE detention capacity across the country," said Kate Voigt, Senior Policy Counsel at the ACLU. "Without the DHS Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties - and other oversight agencies that were also eliminated in March - there is no effective internal oversight mechanism while immigration detention is exploding in scale. The ACLU thanks Ranking Member Jayapal for her commitment to conducting oversight of the abuses happening in detention facilities across the country, and we encourage all Members of Congress to hold ICE accountable for its egregious actions."

This was the fifth shadow hearing in this series, each of which has focused on a different aspect of immigration oversight. The others have focused on Trump's assault on Chicago, families that have been torn apart, unlawful third country deportations, and efforts to undermine due process.

Jayapal was joined at this hearing by Representatives Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03), Becca Balint (VT-AL), Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Judy Chu (CA-28), Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09), Maxine Dexter (OR-03), Veronica Escobar (TX-16), Jesús "Chuy" García (IL-04), Sylvia Garcia (TX-29), Adelita S. Grijalva (AZ-07), Val Hoyle (OR-05), Glenn Ivey (MD-04), Robin Kelly (IL-02), Ro Khanna (CA-17), James P. McGovern (MA-02), Rob Menendez (NJ-08), Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03), Deborah Ross (NC-02), Melanie Stansbury (NM-01), Mark Takano (CA-39), Paul Tonko (NY-20), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Derek Tran (CA-45), and Nikema Williams (GA-05).

Issues: Civil Rights, Government Reform & Ethics, Immigration